I have fine hair and I find that my second day hair is always stringy and too crunchy.

Today I tried a tip i read on here by wetting my hair with a wet towel and scrunching it. Then added Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion, then the Garnier Pure Clean Gel. I then scrunched it (10 seconds each scrunch) with my microfiber towel) till it wasn't dripping anymore. Then used the diffuser till it was about 85% dry.

It did create better curls using the towel, but as always my hair is SUPER stringy and i'm unable to scrunch the crunch out.

If I'm using a hard-hold gel, 2nd day isn't gonna look that good... some of the curls/waves loosen, others don't. It looks a little messy. Sometimes I get compliments on 2nd day gelled hair... I think people sometimes like the wavier/messy hair... it looks more wild or something. But not something I really want every day, if you know what I mean.

You may have better luck w/ second day hair if you rewet and add a jelly type product like FSG. Though I've never tried it, Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic gel gets rave reviews for second day touch-ups, on dry hair too. I've had luck with FSG. I think you could use AVG as well in mild or low dews. I've had some luck with SS CEJ 2nd day touchups... but it all depends on how much product I put in my hair the day before. If it's a lot of product I can't really be adding even more product second day.

I wouldn't be able to re-add leave-in 2nd day. Once the leave-in is there, that's it. More would weigh me down and layers is no bueno. Although, if you have a really light leave-in it might work (like Shescentit Coconut/Vanilla spray, maybe GDLI or KCKT) ... just not the ones I use regularly (SS Caitlin's, SM Curl&Style milk).

Although I haven't heard of anyone trying this, it works wonders for my hair! Take a spray bottle and fill it with some gel, (I use lalsg) your leave in, (I use shea moisture conditioner) sea salt, (just a tad) and any other stylets you out in your hair when it's washed. I just put in about a quarter amount of each, but just add as much or as little a you want. Add water to almost the top, and screw on the cap. Shake and spray into your hair! This re activates my curls and adds little frizz

I have superfine hair, and have never had a problem with crunchiness when I woke up. So I'm assuming that you've done something to it beyond sleeping on it, since you're complaining of too much crunch with second day hair, that you've added more product and/or you re-wet it (as in thoroughly saturated it). Is that correct?

I don't have any sense as to how long your hair is, so I don't know if this will help you, but I find that my curls sustain less damage overnight if I sweep my hair up above my head on the pillow (and use a silk pillowcase). I'm an active sleeper, and this way my hair doesn't get mashed repeatedly as I toss and turn because it is free to tumble without the pressure, or any moisture from perspiration. (When I pineapple, the scrunchie leaves a dent in my hair.)

I've never had any luck saturating my hair or even heavily re-dampening it in the morning. It just overwhelms my hair and weighs it down. I use a method I call sandwiching (for lack of a better term). I use a mixture of (mostly) distilled water (because it's germ free), conditioner, and sometimes other things, such as a pinch of sea/epsom salt, Curl Keeper, SLIP, or the gel du jour, combined in a spray bottle. I shake this up well, then spritz my hands, then put them together on either side of successive sections of hair, and run them quickly over each section, dampening it lightly. You should be able to see the curl spring back as you release your hands. I redampen my hands freshly for each section, then do that again, flip my hair over, and dampen my roots with the tips of my fingers. After that I scrunch well, support my hair with my hands when I come back to upright position, readjust my part only if absolutely necessary, then walk away from the mirror no matter what it looks like.

I never get my hair really wet using this technique, just damp, and it dries in 5 to 10 minutes. I can use this many days in a row, and get results better than Day 1 hair, though it doesn't have the insane amount of jump my hair has on the first day.

I think using a silk bonnet/cap and/or pillowcase (I use both) really helps with second day hair. My hair doesn't seem to like anything added to it except a drop or two of a light oil (camellia) or something like SS Emolience to smooth a bit. Right now I'm using the Emolience mixed with a drop of oil for better distribution. Gives a nice shine and tames any frizzy bits. My second day hair is pretty good; third day is sitll a work in progress.

I have been having some success with putting just the canopy in a loose French braid before I sleep. Big sections, so I only cross over like three times, if you can picture that, and then regular braid to the end of the strand. I'm honestly not sure if the wave I get the next day is my natural wave or kinks from the braid, but I guess it doesn't really matter--it looks pretty much the same.

Yesterday I refreshed 2nd day hair with Lily of the Desert AVG (it's edible and quite runny). I put like a half dollar blob in my hands, rubbed it and smoothed it onto my hair "prayer method" or "sandwhich method" style as Morgan describes it section by section (maybe did 5 sections). I was happy with the results, but I'm traveling now and the dews were moderate yesterday. (I only had SSI Vanilla/coconut spray leave-in in my hair from the day before.)

I've also had some success applying AVG mixed with a few drops of jojoba oil in my hands before going to bed. I smooth it lightly over the top, flip my hair over, and scrunch well. Then I sleep with my hair swept up as above. I get really well defined curls with almost no crunch left to scrunch out the next morning. Usually just pulling my hair back as if I were going to make a ponytail leaves my hair very soft.

I mix water, my conditioner (TN) and a little lavender EO in a spray bottle. Shake and spritz in the morning, sort of tousling/scrunching as I go. Then I add a little (very little) bit of gel to my hair.

Yesterday I refreshed 2nd day hair with Lily of the Desert AVG (it's edible and quite runny). I put like a half dollar blob in my hands, rubbed it and smoothed it onto my hair "prayer method" or "sandwhich method" style as Morgan describes it section by section (maybe did 5 sections). I was happy with the results, but I'm traveling now and the dews were moderate yesterday. (I only had SSI Vanilla/coconut spray leave-in in my hair from the day before.)

Originally Posted by wavydaze

When you and Morgan mention sandwiching, how much are you applying? I'm wondering when I tried this before if I applied too much?

With APL hair, I usually use five pumps of my water+conditioner spray at a time. I spray one hand, redistribute to the other also by rubbing them together after putting down the bottle. Immediately after sandwiching a section of hair between my palms, I start to run them lightly down my hair, from root to ends. Like the O.P. I usually dampen 5 sections. I can see my curls jump back toward my scalp as I release pressure on my hair.

Then I dampen my hands with about three pumps of water+conditioner, flip my hair over, insert my fingers in through my hair, and dampen my roots at the crown. Staying over, I scrunch, scrunch, scrunch all over, and then some. Before going upright again, I support my hair with my hands, as described in Curly Girl: The Handbook for supporting your hair after scrunching when styling your hair initially, after washing.

I have had partial second-day hair success with two things: sleeping in a loose french braid, canopy only, and then in the a.m. refreshing with a homemade spray with honey and olive oil. Just spray and walk away--it's kind of amazing how the waves just reform themselves out of the pouf. You have to be careful not to overdo it, though, because too much of that stuff will get tacky and attract dirt.